SDSU, Imperial Valley Campus
Eng 540B: English Fiction in the 1800s
Spring 2014
Instructor: Dr. Jeanette Shumaker
Office: West Faculty 157
Office hours: T 3:45-5:15, W 3-4 & 6-7:15, Th 2-3
Phone: 760-768-5524 (Or x65524 on campus)
Email: jshumake@mail.sdsu.edu
Website: See SDSU-IV webpage, Faculty pages
Please wait several days for replies to email, my preferred contact method.
Section and Enrollment Information
Class meeting: T 12:55-3:35
Class location: FOB 124B
Schedule number: 60016
Course prerequisites: Six lower division units in literature and/or creative writing.
Course Description
ENGL 540B. English Fiction: The development of English fiction during the nineteenth century,
its peak era. The differences between the Romantic period, and the early-, mid-, and lateVictorian periods will be discussed, along with such influences as the French Revolution,
Oxford Movement, Evangelicals, Pre-Raphaelites, aesthetes and Utilitarians. Gothic and
realist genres will be covered.
As an intensive upper-division literature course, 540B will involve much reading, writing,
and thinking. You will write an essay; complete a final essay exam; present an oral report,
creative project, dramatic reading, and informal writings. Your reading, in-class writing,
speaking, revising, research, and critical skills should improve due to the course’s seminar
format and demanding assignments. I will lecture only when necessary since I believe
students learn more about how to interpret literature from exchanging ideas rather than
just listening to mine.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. In class and out of class, write essays analyzing literary texts that show your ability to use
evidence to create a compelling argument addressed to English professors. This includes
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discussing quotes and examples from the literary text; analyzing scholarly articles and
books, or historical or theoretical sources relevant to the literary text; addressing figurative
language within the text including symbols, analogies, irony and hyperbole; placing the text
in its literary genre or genres and era, as influenced by its author’s nation, gender, race and,
sometimes, religious or political allegiance.
2. In class discussions and oral reports, examine themes, figurative language, stylistic nuances,
character, and historical contexts of literary texts. Respond meaningfully to other students’
comments and questions, and present your own.
3. Develop close reading techniques such as taking notes about a literary work’s figurative
language, themes, style and characters, compelling passages and connections to other
literary works; come up with your own questions about a literary text and answer those
questions; in your informal writings, comment about specific passages or themes etc. in a
literary work.
4. In your creative project and your dramatic reading, exercise your imagination and improve
your acting skills, apprehending assigned literary works inventively rather than analytically.
Course Materials
Required Readings and Materials
Buy or rent books from the campus bookstore for around $5-$10 each, if you like to mark
up hard copies, as I do. Or buy the excellently annotated Bookdoors electronic editions of
many of these texts via Amazon for $3 each. Or read many of these texts for free online
using Project Gutenberg.
Austen. "Pride and Prejudice"
Shelley. "Frankenstein"
Bronte, C. "Jane Eyre"
Bronte, E. "Wuthering Heights"
Dickens. "Great Expectations"
Hardy. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles"
Stoker. "Dracula"
Course Website
See Blackboard
Assessment and Grading
A grade of C on an assignment means that you have competently completed it, whereas a
grade of A denotes an outstanding performance in terms of content, organization, and style.
Grammatical correctness and clean copy are required for passing work.
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Informal writings cannot be turned in late, even if you have a good excuse. They are meant
to reward students who manage to come to class well-prepared.
You must participate in the peer review or your essay’s grade will be reduced by one letter.
Late papers will be accepted up to one week past the due date, with their grades lowered
by one letter (ie a B paper gets a C), unless the lateness results from a documented thirdparty excused absence. Missing class is no excuse for not turning in an assignment on time
(at the beginning of that class period); start work on the assignment well in advance and
then have a friend deliver it if an emergency arises.
If your oral report or dramatic reading is not given on its assigned date, its grade is lowered
by one letter, unless you have made arrangements with me to change the date before the
scheduled date arrives.
Exams and Creative Projects may not be made up unless you make an arrangement with
me before the scheduled dates. A grading penalty will be given for retakes, unless an
emergency is proven.
Assignments and Exams
Essay (at least 1,800 words) 30% of course grade; Creative Project 10%; Dramatic Reading
5%; Discussion Leading/Oral Report (15 mins.) 10%; Informal Writings/ Participation/
Attendance 20%; Final Exam 25%.
Final Grades

3.85 or higher = A

3.5- 3.84 = A-

3.15-3..49 = B+

2.85-3.14 = B

2.5-2.84 = B-

2.15- 2.49 = C+

1.85-2.14 = C

1.5-1.84 = C-

1.15-1.49 = D+

.85-1.14 = D

.5-.84 = D-

0-.49 = F
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Grading Policies
Be sure to document all sources in your essays using MLA style to avoid a charge of
plagiarism (which could result in your failing the course or being suspended from SDSU). If
stress is tempting you to cheat, talk to me so that I can suggest constructive methods for
handling academic pressures.
If you are protecting a friend who cheats, remember that you may be co-depending a
perilous addiction; studies show that college cheating often leads to cheating in the
workplace, resulting in a ruined career, stiff fines, or even imprisonment.
Course Activities and Schedule
Date
Topic
Readings to be completed prior
to class
Assignments /
Activities
2/4
Monsters, science fiction
Frankenstein to the end.
Bring questions and
comments.
2/11
Satire and sentiment
Pride and Prejudice, first half.
No written
homework.
2/18
Austen
Pride and Prejudice to the end.
Bring analysis of
favorite passage.
2/25
The Gothic, monsters
Wuthering Heights, first half.
No homework.
3/4
Multi-generational
narratives
Wuthering Heights to the end.
Bring questions and
comments.
3/11
The Bronte sisters
Jane Eyre, first half.
Bring questions and
ideas for your
essay.
3/18
Feminist interpretations
Jane Eyre to the end.
Peer review (bring
3 copies of essay).
3/25
Dickens
Great Expectations, first half.
Bring questions and
comments.
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Date
Topic
Readings to be completed prior
to class
Assignments /
Activities
4/8
Gothic monsters again
Great Expectations to end.
Final draft of essay
due, with 2 peer
review sheets.
4/15
Naturalism
Tess, first half.
Dramatic Readings
due.
4/22
Social critique
Tess to end.
Bring questions and
comments.
4/29
Horror, monsters
Dracula, first half.
Creative Projects
due.
5/6
Semester review
Dracula to end.
Bring questions and
comments.
5/13
Final Exam
Bring novels and blue books
(except the one you covered in
your essay).
Bring a pen.
Course Assignments
Exams, Informal Writings and Participation
The Final Exam will primarily be open-book (no notes) essay exams over four works you
did not cover in your paper or oral report.
Informal Writings will be done in response to my instructions both out of class and in class.
No such writings will be accepted late. This will reward those students who keep up with
the class work despite personal obstacles.
The participation component of your course grade will be measured through a combination
of attendance, willingness to speak during discussion, and thoughtful completion of
informal writings.
Oral Report/ Discussion Leading
Your oral report and discussion leading session should last fifteen minutes, with at
least ten minutes devoted to the report, and at least five to discussion. You will be assigned
a report topic that will relate to that day’s assigned reading. Please limit your plot summary
to five minutes, spending most of your report time on analysis or historical background.
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Identify themes and illustrate them with examples. Compare the work you are reporting on
to others you have read. To enhance the interest of your report, use eye contact, gestures,
vocal variation, and visual aids when relevant. Speak spontaneously, instead of reading
from a script. Please let me know in advance if you’ll need to use a computer and projector.
Your discussion questions may deviate from the report’s focus as you raise other
issues in the assigned reading, or the questions may follow up your report (or you may do
both). Your questions don’t have to cover all the assigned reading--just what interests you.
If you exceed 20 minutes for your report/ discussion, I may cut you off if we have a lot to
cover that day.
Creative Performance Project
Choose a novel from our reading list and describe how you’d turn it into a film. Would you
omit certain characters or subplots, for example? What movie stars would you cast in the
major roles? Would you use flashbacks or other unusual camera techniques, and if so, when
and why? Would you modernize the story, change its location, or put it in another period,
such as the Wild West? Explain why you’d make the changes you’d make in one-three
pages, typed.
On a separate page, freely adapt at least 50 lines of dialogue from the book you’ve chosen
into the language of your screenplay. Provide any costume, scenery, or camera directions
needed to help us understand this excerpt from your projected screenplay.
You will perform this excerpt from your screenplay in class, or show a DVD in which you
act. Other students (or friends) may help you fill the roles. Use props, puppets, and scenery
as you wish. Put feeling into your acting to make your performance interesting. You don’t
have to memorize your lines. If the You Tube or DVD etc. of your project won’t play, you
must promptly perform your creative project live.
If you wish, you may complete this assignment in a group of up to three people; if you are a
group of three, your project needs to be three times as long as that required of an
individual.
Dramatic Reading
Dramatic readings were popular in the 1800s. Choose a passage from one of the novels
assigned in this course and read it dramatically to our class for five-seven minutes. Put lots
of feeling into your reading so your audience will be entertained. If you wish, you may use
props and costumes.
Course Policies
No laptops, iPads, phones etc. may be used or your class participation grade will be
lowered. The only exception is if you are using an iPad etc. to read the day’s assigned
novel electronically.
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Students with Disabilities
Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately, to
discuss specific accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you need
accommodation due to a disability, but have not registered with Adviser Barbara Romero
or Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli Center, Suite 3101), please do so
before making an appointment to see me.
Oral Report Schedule
2/4 WELLS, H.G. THE TIME MACHINE
2/11 MERRICK, L. THE QUAINT COMPANIONS
EDGEWORTH, M. CASTLE RACKRENT
2/18 G ASKELL, E. CRANFORD
AUSTEN, J. EMMA
2/25 AUSTEN, J. PERSUASION
BRONTE, C. VILLETTE
3/4 DICKENS, C. HARD T IMES
DICKENS, C. DAVID COPPERFIELD
3/11 DICKENS, C. BLEAK HOUSE
DICKENS, C. OUR M UTUAL FRIEND
3/25 T ROLLOPE, A. BARCHESTER TOWERS
COLLINS, W. ARMADALE
4/15 SOMERVILLE AND ROSS. THE REAL CHARLOTTE
GISSING, GEORGE. THE O DD WOMEN
4/22 HARDY, T. THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE
HARDY , T. JUDE THE OBSCURE
5/6 JAMES, H. PORTRAIT OF A LADY
HAGGARD, RIDER. SHE
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